WEEK 1 WHAT DO YOU KNOW?… · 2019. 10. 10. · Pretests are just what they sound like they are....

Quarter 1, Week 1 Pretest 7

WEEK 1

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

PRETEST 1

Pretests are just what they sound like they are. They are a “pre” test, not a real test. They are designed tointroduce new people and places, stir your curiosity, and find out what you might already know about thelessons to come. Keep it fun! I suggest you check your answers but not record your grade. Chances areyou will miss a lot of questions! But that’s OK. If you knew all the answers, you wouldn’t need to takethis course! Hopefully this pretest will give you a glimpse of what you WILL be learning for the week.

Who/What Am I? Choose the best answer from the list below.

1. Before I left the earth and ascended into heaven, I promised to send the Holy Spirit. Who am I?

2. As Jesus said would happen, I came upon the apostles at Pentecost. Who am I?

3. I was stoned to death and became the first Christian martyr. Who am I?

4. Jesus spoke to me on the road to Damascus and I was blinded. Who am I?

5. I am the city from which the first Christians were sent out as missionaries. What am I?

6. I traveled with Paul on his first missionary journey to nine cities. Who am I?

7. I am the place in Athens, Greece, where Paul preached a powerful sermon. What am I?

8. I am an island in the Mediterranean where Paul was shipwrecked for three months. What am I?

WORD BANK

Mars HillAntiochJesusStephen

BarnabasHoly SpiritMaltaSaul (or Paul)

8 The Mystery of History-Volume II

c. A.D. 29 and following

PENTECOST AND

THE FIRST FOLLOWERS OF JESUS

LESSON 1

Imagine the first men and women who were followers of Christ. Most of them heard Jesus teach withtheir own ears. Some had seen Him die with their own eyes. Many saw Him face to face after He rosefrom the dead. The first believers experienced things that were more than amazing. But what happenednext to these men and women was enough to forever shape history!

You see, just before Jesus left this earth and ascended into heaven, He told His followers that Hewould send the Holy Spirit. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be

witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Notice the twothings Jesus stressed here: that people would receive power from the Holy Spirit and that they would be Hiswitnesses.

This one promise in the Bible is incredible! Do you think it came true? According to the Book ofActs, it did. And better yet, the Bible says it is still coming true! (John 14–16; Rom. 8:16; 10:13–17) InActs, Chapter 2, we learn that as the apostles were gathered:

“suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the

Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:2–4) (Bolded words are

mine for emphasis.)

As a result of this incident, theBible says that the multitudes were“confused, because everyone heard them speak

in his own language. Then they were all

amazed and marveled, . . . ” (Acts 2:6–7)Because different languages were allbeing spoken, some people thoughtthat the disciples were drunk with winein the middle of the day. How wrongthey were.

Acts 2:14 tells the rest of thestory. After the Holy Spirit had comeupon those who were gathered, Peter

began to preach and explain what washappening. As a result, the Bible saysthat 3,000 people were saved that day!Not bad results for a first sermon. And,what makes the story even morespecial is to know that Peter was the disciple who denied he knew Jesus three times just before Jesus wascrucified. What a turnaround of courage for Peter.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4)

Quarter 1, Week 1 9

The event of the coming of the Holy Spirit happened on what is called the Day of Pentecost, c.

A.D. 29. Pentecost means “fifty” in Greek. What does fifty have to do with it? Well, the coming of theHoly Spirit happened fifty days after the Passover. What makes this particularly meaningful is that in theOld Testament, the Jews were given the Law of Moses fifty days after the Exodus. (Recall that the Exoduswas the time when the Jews left Egypt and were freed from slavery.)

This is an amazing spiritual parallel from the Old Testament to the New Testament. For just as theJews received freedom from physical bondage and were given the LAW to live by, the early Christians receivedfreedom from spiritual bondage and were given POWER to live by—the power of the Holy Spirit! It’s alsointeresting that in the Old Testament there is a story of 3,000 people dying from disobeying the Lawafter it was given. (Exod. 32:28) But in the New Testament, we see 3,000 people being saved after Peter’sfirst message was given. What a contrast!

After Pentecost

After the Day of Pentecost, we continue to see the Holy Spirit working supernaturally throughthe apostles and these first believers in order that others might believe that Jesus was God. A great exampleof this is in the Book of Acts when Peter and John healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the

Temple. (Acts 3:1–10) Picture a crippledman sitting and begging in the Temple atthe same place day after day, year after year,completely depending on others to survive.Peter and John not only noticed the lameman, but they healed him in the name ofJesus! This healing act was so powerful thatit led a great crowd to be filled with “wonder

and amazement” and once again Peter wasgiven an opportunity to preach.

Furthermore, the Bible says:

“through the hands of the apostles many signs and

wonders were done among the people . . . and

believers were increasingly added to the Lord, . . .

so that they brought the sick out into the streets

and laid them on beds and couches, that at least

the shadow of Peter passing by might

fall on some of them. Also a multitude

gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem,

bringing sick people and those who were tormented

by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.” (Acts

5:12–16) (Bolded letters are mine for

emphasis.)

Think about how incredible it wouldhave been to witness these kinds ofmiracles with your own eyes! It causedmany to believe.

Some city streets in Jerusalem haven’t changed much from days when

Paul passed through them.


One more story of great significance in Acts was when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles. Yousee, a Gentile is a person who is not of the Jewish race. Many Jewish Christians believed that they alonewould be saved and thus receive the Holy Spirit—because they thought that only the Jews were thechosen people of God. But what we find in Acts 10:44–48 is God revealing Himself through the HolySpirit to people who were not Jewish. It says, “And those of the circumcision [meaning the Jewish believers]who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the

Gentiles also.” (Acts 10:45) (Brackets are mine.)This outpouring of the Spirit is profound! Why? Because it means that redemption is available to

everyone. And it shows, too, that God kept his promise to Abraham in the Old Testament when He said,“And in you [Abraham] all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3) (Brackets and bold letters aremine.) That is good news for our world!

Unfortunately, this good news and the great miracles described above were perceived as a threat tothe Jewish leaders. Peter and John were thrown in prison on more than one occasion for preaching aboutJesus. Stephen was stoned to death after giving a great sermon and became the first Christian martyr. (Amartyr is a person who dies for his or her beliefs.)

As awful as that sounds, I believe we can still see where God was at work. While Peter and Johnwere imprisoned, not even chains were able to stop the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promisedthem. Acts 5:19 tells us that “at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.’ ” They did this with great boldness. Andwhen Stephen was being stoned, he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right

hand of God!” (Acts 7:56) That means that even in his tragic death, Stephen proclaimed the Gospel!It is sad but true that as long as men have been preaching the truth of the Gospel, there has been an

enemy trying to stop it. (John 15:18–27). Over the centuries, men and women have been arrested, tortured,and even killed because of their love and devotion to Jesus and their desire to be His witnesses. But, hasthe enemy stopped the spread of the Gospel yet? Not hardly! Jesus Himself promised the power of theHoly Spirit so that we might be His witnesses in all the earth. (Acts 1:8) As Gamaliel, a Pharisee andteacher of the Law, said in Acts 5:38–39, “let them [the apostles] alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it

will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it.” (Brackets are mine.) Evidently the plan tospread the Gospel has been of God because more than 2,000 years later, it is still happening!

ACTIVITY 1

ALL STUDENTS

I recommend that students memorize 12 specific dates in this volume. The first date to

memorize is Pentecost (c. A.D. 29). On your Memory Card, highlight this name and date in

yellow so that it stands out from the other cards.

1A—Younger Students

Re-enact the healing of the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate. Read Acts 3:1–10. It might remindyou of a popular children’s praise song based on this story. If you know the song—“Silver and Gold haveI none, but in Jesus’ name walk!—sing it today as part of your re-enactment.

Quarter 1, Week 1 11

1B—Middle Students

1. Do you think men or women have ever been guilty of wanting power for the wrong reasons? ReadActs 8:14–25 to learn the sin of Simon, the sorcerer, who hoped to “buy” the power of the HolySpirit. Discuss with your teacher the way our society perceives power (money, position, and strength)versus the genuine power of God. Pray and thank God that He ultimately is the greatest power!

2. Read more stories in the Book of Acts revealing the power of the Holy Spirit. I recommend thestory of Philip who preached to the Ethiopian and was miraculously transported somewhere else.(Acts 8:26–40) There is also in Acts (10:1–43) the amazing conversion of a Roman centurionnamed Cornelius. (A centurion was a leader in the army.)

3. Do you know when or where the followers of Christ were first called Christians? Look up Acts11:26 to find out.

1C—Older Students

1. Have you ever preached a sermon? On a tape recorder or through a video camera, practice preachingStephen’s sermon, as given in Acts 7. Notice how often he used Scripture to defend his statements.

2. Have you ever witnessed a miraculous answer to prayer? Thank the Lord now for the privilege ofthis experience to build your faith. Write it down and file it in your Student Notebook under thecountry in which it happened.

3. Have you ever witnessed to someone about the Christian faith? If not, become acquainted withmaterials that will help you to prepare. Begin to pray that you would be like the early disciples whochanged the world through their bold witnessing.

c. A.D. 31

“SAUL, WHO ALSO IS CALLED PAUL”

LESSON 2

You may have heard of a man named Paul. He is mentioned many times in the New Testament becausehe wrote most of the New Testament. He wrote it in the form of letters. The Book of Acts tells theamazing life story of Paul, from his zealous younger years to his older wiser years. It was in his youngeryears that he was most often called Saul of Tarsus. (Tarsus was a city in Turkey.) Today we’ll look atwhat made this man such an incredible witness for Jesus Christ.

Let’s consider first who Saul was before he knew Christ. (The Bible most often calls Paul “Saul” untilhe began his ministry. For consistency, I will do the same.) Believe it or not, Saul was a great enemy to theearly Christians. Yes, an enemy! Saul was actually one of the very men who persecuted the first believers!In fact, according to Acts 7:58, Saul was at the scene and possibly led the stoning of Stephen, the firstChristian martyr. Acts 7:58 says, “And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”

Further in the Book of Acts (8:3), it states, “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and

dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.”


From what you might already know about Paul, that he was a “good guy,” you may be wonderingwhat possessed him to be so hard on the early believers. Well, it had everything to do with his religiousbackground. Saul of Tarsus was a very devout Jew and the son of a Pharisee. Pharisees were consideredthe most faithful Jews of their day. They were particularly dedicated to the Law (the commandmentsgiven to Moses). Saul was, in fact, so devout in his Jewish customs that he said this of himself:

“If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the

tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; . . . concerning the righteousness which is in the

law, blameless.” (Phil. 3:4–6)

As is clear from this statement, it was Saul’s strict Judaism (or Jewish heritage) that most led him topersecute the Early Church. As a dedicated follower of the Law, Saul was extremely upset when he heardJesus’ claims to be God. He thought it was blasphemy and he was willing to do anything to stop it.(Blasphemy means to insult God or fail to show Him respect and reverence. It was a serious crime to theJews.)

Now you may be wondering exactly how Saul of Tarsus went from killing Christians to being aChristian. Well, God works in amazing ways.Acts, Chapter 9, tells the story of hisincredible conversion that occurred about

A.D. 31.

“As he [Saul] journeyed he came near Damascus,

and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying

to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord

said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is

hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he,

trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You

want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise

and go into the city, and you will be told what you

must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him

stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his

eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by

the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he

was three days without sight, and neither ate nor

drank.” (Acts 9:3–9) (Word in brackets is

mine for clarity.)

I suppose it would have been hard foranyone to eat or drink after an experience like that! The Lord Jesus made a bold believer out of Saul bycalling to him as dramatically as He did. And He did so for good reasons. Saul was going to live throughmany challenges and dangers for the sake of Christ before his life was over.

For starters, the early Christian believers were terribly frightened of Saul. They knew him as the onewho murdered their Christian brothers and sisters! On the other hand, the devout Jews and Pharisees

"And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young

man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on

God . . .” (Acts 7:58-59)


were shocked at Saul for becoming a Christian. They in fact hated him for it! This young man hadcompletely changed sides, from being the one to persecute, to being the one who was persecuted!

Imagine the best player on a soccer team changing sides in the middle of a game. Would either sidetrust him at first? I don’t think so! With so many people in an uproar over Saul’s conversion, he had toescape from his home in Jerusalem in the middle of the night. He pulled this off by having friendssecretly lower him in a basket over the huge city wall. For good reasons, Saul was afraid for his life andreturned to his original home in Tarsus. He stayed there for nearly 10 years, preaching and teachingChrist.

But the Lord had much bigger plans for Saul of Tarsus. He sent a godly man by the name ofBarnabas looking for him. The Bible says:

“Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it

was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first

called Christian in Antioch.” (Acts 11:25–26)

It must have been a glorious assembly there in Antioch. Imagine the teaching and the strongtestimonies of those in the congregation. I think it is beautiful that the disciples were first called Christiansthere. That means they were willing to bear the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul was there too,proving once and for all that he was a true believer to any who might have doubted. I wonder how manytimes he stood up to retell his dramatic encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus.

It was from the growing church at Antioch that Barnabas and Saul were first sent on a short mission.Their job was to bring relief to their suffering brethren in Judea. But the Lord had even more planned forSaul! It says in Acts 13:2, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me

Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ ”

Coincidentally, it is just after this special calling that the writers of the New Testament begin to referto Saul as Paul. Acts 13:9 says, “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit . . . ” Mistakenly,many people think that Saul changed his name to Paul. But the Bible doesn’t really say this. Some scholarsbelieve the name Paul was used to signify the great transformation in his life. Others believe Saul took thename of one of his first converts, Sergius Paulus. Or it may just be that Saul was his Jewish name(named after King Saul, the first king of Israel) and Paul was his Roman name. As he ministered to manynon-Jewish people, he may have preferred to use his Roman name. Regardless of what name he went by,Paul was truly a remarkable man!

The work Paul was called to was nothing less than miraculous. The rest of his life is best describedthrough his missionary journeys. There is so much to tell about these that I’ll save it for the next lesson.Let’s just say that if you like adventure, you’ll like the journeys of Paul. He was kicked out of town,stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and chained to a Roman soldier—all for the cause of Christ!

ACTIVITY 2


When the Lord spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus, he struck him with blindness for threewhole days. He had to be led around by the hand. Have your teacher blindfold you and lead you around


your home or classroom. Total blindness can be frightening when you’re not used to it. Why do you thinkthe Lord wanted Saul to experience this? Discuss possible reasons with your teacher—for example, toteach Saul that he was spiritually blind without Christ (John 9:39–41), to emphasize Paul’s dependence onthe Lord, to teach humility, and other possible reasons.


Saul had a very dramatic conversion experience when he became a believer in the Lord Jesus. Notall Christians do. Do you believe God has saved you by making you a believer in Christ? If so, write abrief explanation of how you know this. I recommend this simple guideline:

1. Explain what you need to be saved from (your sinfulness and rebellion against God);

2. Explain what God has done in Christ to provide you with salvation (His death being a payment foryour sin; His life giving you righteousness);

3. Explain when, where, and to whom you first professed your belief in Christ (recognized and turnedfrom your sinfulness; expressed faith in Christ’s ability to save you); and

4. Explain how you now live as a Christian (expressing faith through obedience; expressing repentancewhen sinning).

For each point, write no more than two or three sentences. If you’re not sure yet that you’veexperienced salvation through Christ, discuss this with your parent, teacher, or pastor.

2C—Older Students

In the story of Saul, we are shown that even “enemies” of the Lord can become believers. Gothrough a local newspaper today and choose the name of one person who appears to be opposed to thethings of God. Cut out the article and post it in a place where you will be reminded to pray for thatperson. Pray that he or she, like Paul, will become a great witness for Jesus Christ rather than a persecutorof the Christian faith.

c. A.D. 46–66

PAUL’S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS

LESSON 3

In the last lesson we learned that Saul (who also was called Paul) was dramatically converted from beingan enemy of Christ to being a true believer in Him. It’s an incredible story. From Paul’s New Testamentletters we know even more amazing things about him. He traveled to cities all over Europe and Asiateaching and preaching the gospel of Christ. We group his travels into three major journeys, extendingfrom about A.D. 46–66. Each was full of tough challenges and wonderful miracles.

A church in Antioch commissioned Paul and his friend Barnabas as the very first missionaries ofthe gospel of Christ. (Acts 13:2–3) Their mission was to teach others the very things that Jesus taughtabout who He was and what He had done to provide redemption for people. And when others believed,Paul and Barnabas sought to teach them how to live as Christians in spiritual families of God calledchurches. This was what Jesus had instructed them to do in what is called the Great Commission. (Matt.28:19–20; Mark 16:15)


Paul’s First Journey

On the FIRST missionary journey, Paul and Barnabastraveled to nine different cities. Because Paul was a Jew by birthand a respected Pharisee, he was allowed to teach in the differentsynagogues that were scattered across Europe and Asia. (Asynagogue is a Jewish place of worship and teaching.) Most ofthe time, Paul and Barnabas saw incredible results from their work.Paul performed miracles that proved their teachings were of God.Many Jews listened and believed, but there were also many whodid not! Those who didn’t believe were angry enough to kill. Inone city, a vicious mob threw stones at Paul until they believedhim to be dead! Miraculously, Paul survived. This was just thebeginning of many trials and victories for him.

Paul’s Second Journey

On Paul’s SECOND missionary journey, he visited 12 cities.This time, though, he traveled with a disciple named Silas andlater with Timothy. (Paul and Barnabas went on separatemissionary journeys this time because they disagreed over whomto bring along.)

Paul continued to teach in the synagogues and perform life-changing miracles. He once healed a slave girl from demon possession! This was a good thing. But thegirl’s owners were upset over it. It seems they tried to use her demonic fortune-telling powers to makemoney. The slave owners dragged Paul and Silas to the city judges and accused them of causing problems.(Acts 16:17–23) Paul was severely beaten for healing the slave girl and thrown in prison.

Even in prison, Paul was used to demonstrate God’s supernatural power. Acts 16:25–26 tells us:

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns [praises] to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were

opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” (Brackets indicate translation in the King James Version.)

God used this miracle to convict the jailer of his sin of unbelief. He chose to become a follow ofJesus Christ that very night!

Paul, along with Peter, was one of the

most influential apostles of Jesus Christ.

1. Middle and Older Students: The name of the “church” will vary throughout this course because historians typically usevarious terms to label the church at different time periods. The general breakdown is as follows:

The New Testament Church—the earliest church as established by the apostles.The Apostolic Church—the church from c. A.D. 70–120.The Early Church—the church from c. A.D. 150–500 (sometimes up to 1070).The Western Church, Latin Church, or Medieval Church—the church in Europe that remained after the fall of the WesternRoman Empire. In this volume I will most often use the term Medieval Church.The Eastern Church or Byzantine Church—the church of the Byzantine Empire. I will call it the Eastern Church in this volume.The Roman Catholic Church – this term was not used until 1560 when Roman Catholics distinguished themselves fromProtestants during the Reformation. You’ll read more about that in Volume III.


Worse things might have happened to Paulafter his beating and imprisonment, but theauthorities discovered that he was a Roman

citizen. Back then, a Roman citizen had certainprivileges. One of those was that a Roman citizencouldn’t be punished for a crime without havinga trial. Those who had beaten Paul had not givenhim a trial like they should have. So that theywouldn’t get in trouble, the authorities just askedPaul to leave the city. Though the Romangovernment was sometimes evil, in that instanceGod used the Roman law to protect Paul.

Toward the end of his second journey, Paulended up in Athens. Think with me about whatyou might already know about Athens. It was the largest city in Greece and was immersed in mythologyand idolatry. Imagine Paul’s feelings when he walked the streets of this ancient city. Athens would havebeen decorated from end to end with statues to pagan gods and goddesses. To some it might haveseemed impossible to reach the Greeks because of all their mythology.

But Paul, in his wisdom and zeal, delivered a sermon to the Athenians that is still talked about today.It’s referred to as the sermon at Mars Hill. (Acts 17:16–34) Rather than put down the Athenians fortheir beliefs, Paul encouraged them to think about the possibility that there was just one God over everything.He appealed to the deep thinking that the Greeks were known for through their famous philosophers.I’m happy to say that Paul’s approach was effective, and God used it to bring many Greeks to belief inChrist.

At the close of his second journey, Paul stayed for awhile in the city of Corinth. (The church atCorinth is one that Paul later wrote letters to. We know them now as the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians inthe New Testament.) Paul spent almost a year there with the believers of Corinth. His extended stay mayexplain why his letters to them were so long and detailed. They were his good friends, especially a couplenamed Aquila and Priscilla. They made and sold tents with Paul in Corinth to help him support hisministry.

Paul’s Third Journey

Paul’s THIRD missionary journey around Europe and some parts of Asia proved to be one of themost interesting. The Bible says, “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs

or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” (Acts19:11–12). Paul even raised from the dead a man who had fallen out of a window during a late-nightsermon! (Acts 20:7–12) I would call that some amazing power!

Through such miracles, many people came to believe in Christ. Sorcerers were known to burn theirbooks of magic to completely turn from evil and follow Jesus. Paul’s teachings had such an impact inEphesus that a silversmith named Demetrius led a riot against the apostles. Demetrius gathered a largecrowd at the theater in Ephesus to protest because so many people were refusing to buy false idols thathe and other craftsmen were losing money! (Acts 19:21–41)

You can still see the ruins of the theater in Ephesus where

Demetrius led a riot against the teachings of Paul.


As had been the case before, many of the Jewish leaders were threatened by Paul’s miracles andteachings, and he was thrown in prison again. While Paul was in Jerusalem, at least 40 Jews conspiredtogether that they would not eat or drink until they killed Paul. By God’s providence this plot wasdiscovered by Paul’s young nephew. We don’t know this boy’s name but he was very brave in helpingPaul. The boy reported the murder plan to a Roman centurion (a soldier in charge of at least 100 men).The centurion in turn decided to sneak Paul out of Jerusalem at night—protecting him with 200 soldiers,70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen and delivering him to the Roman governor in Caesarea. It was an

incredible escape! (Acts 23:11–35)For about two years Paul remained a prisoner in

Caesarea under the protection of the Romans whilewaiting for a trial. (Acts 24–26) Eventually Paul wasmade to stand trial before three Roman rulers namedFelix, Festus, and Herod Agrippa. On each occasion,Paul was able to share the Gospel of Christ with thesemen and with all who attended his trial. Believe it ornot, each of these three Roman rulers found Paul tobe innocent of any crime against Rome!

But the Jews persisted in trying to stop Paul frompreaching by accusing him of breaking Roman law. ByA.D. 60, Paul requested that the emperor of Romehimself hear his case. But since obviously the emperorof Rome lived in the city of Rome, Paul had to travelby ship to get there. This is when his story gets evenmore interesting. It was on that long voyage across thestormy Mediterranean Sea that Paul wasshipwrecked! (Acts 27) After all he had been through,he was nearly lost forever at sea.

But, for several reasons, Paul knew that he wasgoing to survive the incident. Acts 23:11 tells us that

earlier, when Paul was still a prisoner in Jerusalem, the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul;

for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” And God had also spoken toPaul through an angel the very night of the shipwreck, telling him they would survive. (Acts 27:21–24)Thus, Paul was able to confidently inform his companions, all 276 of them on board the ship, that notone of them would perish that night. And not one of them did!

For three months Paul and the other survivors lived on the island of Malta until other arrangementscould be made to get them to Rome. Isn’t it like God to sometimes throw “detours” in our lives andmake something good of it? The months at Malta were certainly unplanned by Paul and his shipmates.But it turned into an opportunity for ministry. Paul miraculously survived a poisonous snakebite, and hehealed a man of severe fever. (Acts 28:1–10) As a result, many on the island of Malta came to believe inChrist and were healed.

The Book of Acts closes with the story of Paul finally making it to Rome. There, in one of thegreatest cities of the ancient world, Paul had the opportunity to really preach. He was also granted partialfreedom. He was under what is called “house arrest.” It means that he lived in a house rather than aprison, although he was probably chained to a Roman soldier at all times! Acts 28:30–31 says, “Then Paul

The ruins of an ancient library still stand in Ephesus.


dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and

teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.”

I’m glad Paul had those last two years of fruitful ministry in Rome because from other New Testamentbooks, we learn that Paul was later imprisoned again! As an older man, after all his years of teaching,miracles, healings, beatings, trials, and imprisonment, Paul was put behind bars one last time. It is believedthat he died a short time later as a martyr under the rule of a terrible man named Nero. We will learn inthe next lesson just how awful Nero was toward many thousands of Christians. Though it’s a horrifyingstory, it can’t begin to negate the devoted and powerful life that Paul led.

ACTIVITY 3

ALL STUDENTS

It’s time to make your 3-by-5-inch Memory Cards for Lessons 1–3. Follow the directions formaking these cards given in the section “Memory Cards” in the front of this book. I think it will beeasiest for you to make three cards at a time, so I will remind you every three lessons to make your cards.You may prefer to make one card every time you read a lesson. You decide what works best for you! Thecards are designed to help you remember the lessons and to be used in games; they are not intended to bea burden. Your teacher may opt to write the cards for younger students. Try to use LIGHT PURPLEmarkers on the front side of the cards for the first semester (“The Early Church”). We will use GRAYlater to distinguish “The Middle Ages,” the title of the second semester.


1. Become a pen pal to a missionary. Do you know anyone who is a missionary? A Christian missionaryis someone who feels a special calling to share the gospel of Jesus with others. Many times,missionaries live in other countries. Some of them live right where you do. Through your church orfamily, find the name and address of a missionary family. “Adopt” them as a family by sendingletters or e-mail and praying for them. They may have special financial needs you can contributemoney toward. Create an information page about the family you choose and place it in your StudentNotebook under the country where they live.

2. For educational purposes, visit a synagogue in your community with your family. Imagine Paulpreaching about Christ in synagogues across Europe and Asia. He was very brave to speak of hisfaith.


1. Pretend you were shipwrecked with Paul. Try writing a letter to your family from the island ofMalta to explain your three-month delay! Use the text from Acts 27–28 to add real facts to thestory. File your story in your Student Notebook under “Asia: Malta.”

2. Are you familiar with the New Testament books that Paul wrote? Using a Bible, create a list of eachof Paul’s letters. On a Bible map, find the corresponding cities to which he wrote. File your list inyour Student Notebook under “Miscellaneous.

3. Memorize the Great Commission passage found in Matthew 28:19–20.


3C—Older Students

1. In Acts 17:16–34, we see that while in Greece Paul was challenged by both Stoic and Epicurean

philosophers. Using a Bible dictionary, find and write a definition for the philosophies of the Stoicsand Epicureans. You will learn that one group favored living for pleasure while the other groupbelieved in controlling one’s desires. Discuss the barriers that each of these philosophies wouldpresent in understanding the Gospel. Toward which philosophy does our present age lean? Fileyour definitions of these philosophies in your Student Notebook under “Europe: Greece.”

2. Research the validity of a story that archaeologists may have recently discovered three anchors atthe bottom of the Mediterranean Sea that they believe are from Paul’s shipwreck. This may requiresome digging of your own!


TAKE ANOTHER LOOK!

Review 1:—LESSONS 1–3

Wall of Fame

This is the place in our study where you will create miniature historical figures and attach them to atimeline. As your timeline grows you can chart your progress through the book. Your timeline may be inthe form of a notebook, a poster, or a large sewing board. (Details for how to make a timeline out of afoldable sewing board are in the “Wall of Fame Timeline Suggestions” section in the front of this book.)

As an option to making your own figures, you may purchase beautifully drawn figures by Amy Pakin her series History Through the Ages—Resurrection to Revolution. Amy Pak of Homeschool in the Woodshas shared her artistic talent and created sketches to correspond to the lessons in The Mystery of History.

(Figures may be purchased through www. BrightIdeasPress.com or through myself.)Below are directions for making your own figures. In brackets underneath each entry I have designated

the corresponding figures from History Through the Ages.

1. Pentecost (c. A.D. 29)—Draw a flame of fire with the word “Pentecost” on it. With parental

supervision, slightly burn the outside edges of your paper to remember Acts 2:3, “Then there

appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.” Remember, this is a date to

memorize. [From History Through the Ages, use Day of Pentecost.]

2. Saul/“Paul” (c. A.D. 31)—Draw a line down the middle of your figure to depict Saul before andafter his conversion to Christ. In one hand, place a sword. In the other, place a cross. [Use Stephen.]

3. Paul’s Missionary Journeys (c. A.D. 46–66)—Draw a picture of a boat. In big letters, write“Paul’s Three Journeys.” Tear the boat just slightly to depict the shipwreck! [There are nocorresponding figures from History Through the Ages; use Paul and Peter.]

SomeWHERE in Time

In this section, I will be asking you to find and/or color places on maps and globes that directlycorrespond to the people or events that we’ve been studying. Each list of mapping exercises begins witheasy map work and ends with more difficult map work. Please choose carefully to be sure the mappingexercises used are on a level appropriate for each child. I would not expect a student to do all theexercises given!

As described earlier in this book, I want you to keep a separate Student Notebook with dividers foreach of the seven continents. Hopefully you can file all kinds of information in your notebook that,along with your map work, will help you learn and remember the places in the world where great historyhas taken place.

1. Using a globe, I want you to familiarize yourself with the Earth. With your fingers, find where youlive. Then find where your grandparents live. Find and name the seven continents. They are North

America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica. Find and name the majoroceans. They are the North Atlantic Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the North Pacific

Ocean, and the South Pacific Ocean. Which is the closest ocean to you?


2. Using a map or globe, find the small country of Israel. This is where Jesus lived and died. If youlook very closely you will even find Jerusalem. This is the city where the apostles were filled withthe Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended into heaven. From that tiny place, the rest of the world hasbeen influenced as men and women left there to be witnesses of all that Jesus had done.

3. There were many ancient cities named Antioch. Using a Bible atlas, find the city of Antioch inSyria and the city of Antioch in Turkey. The city in Syria is now called Antakiyeh. It was from thiscity of Antioch that Paul and Barnabas were sent out as the first missionaries. Using a modern atlas,locate the city of Antakya, Turkey. In biblical times, this city, too, was called Antioch. Paul visitedthis city of Antioch in all three of his missionary journeys. It is easy to confuse these two cities withthe same ancient name!

4. The names of nine New Testament books (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians,Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians) are derivatives of the names of seven cities thatPaul journeyed to. In a Bible atlas, find the following locations: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus,

Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica. Record these cities on Outline Map XX, “Mediterranean,” and fileit in your Student Notebook under “Asia: Syria” (because Paul was commissioned from the churchin Antioch, Syria).

5. Using a Bible atlas as a resource and Outline Map XX, “Eastern Mediterranean,” create your ownmap of Paul’s missionary journeys. Denote the line of his first trip with blue; the second, green;and the third, red. (Some Bible maps may denote Paul’s final trip to Rome as a fourth, or separate,journey from the third. To simplify, you may keep this in red as well since the trip was an extensionof his third missionary journey. Notice the great number of cities Paul visited. It is no wonder thathe was greatly responsible for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Europe and Asia Minor.(Asia Minor is the name of the westernmost part of Asia, which now forms the greater part ofmodern-day Turkey.)


WHAT DID YOU MISS?

Week 1:—EXERCISE

At the end of each week, you will find either an exercise or a quiz. The unique thing about these is thatthey will not only test your knowledge about what you just learned, but they will also test your knowledgeabout things from the beginning of the book and beyond. It’s a built-in review system reminding you ofwho was who and what was what. These are not meant to be difficult but rather to help you rememberthe lessons. I have made the exercises a bit more challenging, however, because you are allowed to useyour books for these. As for quizzes, I suggest you study for them because you should not use your bookto answer the questions!

Scripture Search. For your first exercise, use a Bible and/or your textbook to match the importantScriptures below with their Bible reference. (A Bible reference is like an address for a verse in the Bible.It tells you the name of the book of the Bible, the chapter, and the numbered location within thatchapter where the verse is found.) Place the proper reference in the blank after each Scripture.

Acts 1:8 Acts 2:2–4 Acts 5:38–39 Acts 9:3–4

Acts 10:45 Acts 16:25–26 Acts 17:16–34 Acts 19:11–12

1. “And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, becausethe gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.” ____________________

2. “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Thenhe fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ”____________________

3. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the wholehouse where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one satupon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with othertongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” ____________________

4. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses toMe in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ____________________

5. The sermon at Mars Hill. ____________________

6. “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons werebrought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.”____________________

7. “. . . let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God,you cannot overthrow it.” ____________________

8. “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners werelistening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison wereshaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”____________________


WEEK 2

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

PRETEST 2

Scramble! Unscramble the words to fill in the blanks. Use the word bank below only if you need to!

1. Nero was one of the most evil (Ranom) __________________________ emperors that ever lived.

2. When the city of Rome burned, Nero played the (ryle) __________________________ at his window.

3. The Roman emperor Trajan made it a capital (remic) __________________________ to be a Christian.

4. Ignatius was thrown to the (soiln) __________________________ in the Colosseum of Rome.

5. Tertullian wrote, “The (doobl) __________________________ of the martyrs is the seed of the

church

6. Like Paul, Josephus was a strict (eesirahP) __________________________.

7. Josephus was impressed with Rome but still fought in the First Jewish (lotveR)

__________________________.

8. Josephus became a great Jewish (sotiryh) __________________________ writer.

WORD BANK

lionsRevoltRomanlyreblood

historycrimePharisee


A.D. 37–68

NERO

LESSON 4

Throughout this course, you are going to learn about some great people who helped shape the course of

history for the better. But on the other hand, you are also going to learn about some terrible men and

women who left the pages of history with ugly scars. Today’s lesson is about one of those terrible men.

His name is Nero. He was quite possibly one of the most evil Roman emperors that ever lived, and he

definitely left a trail of scars behind him.

Before I tell you about this wicked man, let me back up a little bit and review the history of Rome

with you. Before Jesus lived, Julius Caesar tried to

conquer Rome as a single emperor. He was a brilliant

man, but the Roman Senate assassinated him for trying

to be a dictator and rule the world with Cleopatra of

Egypt. After his death, the name “Caesar” was used in

his memory as a title for other emperors of Rome. (That’s

why it’s easy to mix them up!)

After Julius Caesar was murdered, his nephew

Octavian managed to win the favor of the Senate and

become the first true emperor of Rome. Octavian was

later called Augustus Caesar. You can find his name in

the New Testament story of the birth of Christ. “And it

came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar

Augustus that all the world should be registered.” (Luke 2:1) I

find it incredible that God had his hand on these rulers

in order that the prophecy would come true about where

Jesus would be born! (The prophecy said Jesus would be

born in Bethlehem, and He was—because Mary and

Joseph were traveling for the census that Augustus declared.)

Augustus Caesar did a pretty good job of ruling over the massive Roman Empire. Rome was said to

be in its Pax Romana, or a time of “Roman peace” under his leadership. But after him, things really

went downhill. There were a couple of Caesars who were so unpopular they were assassinated. Being the

emperor of Rome wasn’t easy.

The fifth man to attempt the job was hardly a man at all. At just 17 years of age, Nero became the

emperor of Rome with the help and manipulation of his mother. The rest of this lesson is the story of

how he ruled Rome and what he did that earned him such a terrible reputation.

In the beginning, Nero showed some genuine humility as the young leader of Rome. When told

that a silver and gold statue would be built in his honor, Nero shyly asked that it not be done. And when

it was requested that he sign his first death sentence for a criminal, Nero said with great reservation,

“Would that I had never learned to write.”1 That means it bothered him to think of ending someone’s

1. Will Durant, Caesar and Christ. Vol. III of The Story of Civilization. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944; p. 275.

Nero was one of the most despised of all Roman

emperors for his self-indulgence and persecution.


life with merely his signature. Young Nero was also bothered by the Roman gladiator system in which

men were forced to fight to the death. He felt it was barbaric! (Which of course, it was.) Unfortunately,

both his humility and compassion were soon to wear off.

In time Nero became a man of great indulgence, with the power and wealth of Rome completely

available to him. He lived for

the “pleasure” of things

above all else. It’s been written

that he slept most of his days

away and partied and carried

out business through the

night. In living for so much

pleasure, Nero developed a

selfish, cruel, and paranoid

disposition. (Paranoia is great,

unfounded fear.) At one

point, he went so far as to

have his own mother killed

for fear she was trying to take

over his kingdom! Nero’s

mistress, Poppaea,

convinced him it was true.

Maybe it was, although Nero’s

mother was the very person

who helped put him on the

throne to begin with.

Nero’s mother was just one of many people Nero had killed. Much like Herod the Great who lived

earlier, Nero went on a killing spree to rid his empire of anyone who appeared to threaten him. This

included a wife named Octavia; a half brother; and Seneca, one of his chief officers. Nero’s behavior

became even more lewd and vulgar after his wife’s death.

Strangely enough, in some ways Nero acted like he didn’t want to be a Roman emperor at all. On

one occasion he dressed up like a commoner and roamed the streets of the city, getting into all kinds of

mischief. He hung out with gangs and street ruffians and beat up innocent people! Not exactly fitting

behavior for an emperor. Furthermore, Nero appeared to spend more time in Greece than he did in

Rome. He did this because of his love for art, music, and theater, which were far more popular in Greece

than in Rome. Unlike any of the other Roman emperors, Nero regularly performed in Greek theater. At

every opportunity he could create, he sang, played the harp, read poetry, or acted. He was so serious

about his career in the arts that he made it against the law to leave a theater where he was acting or to fall

asleep during one of his performances!

The Romans were appalled at Nero’s behavior. They didn’t like the idea of their emperor “mingling”

with the artists and musicians of Greece. What did it say about the Romans? Nero ignored their ridicule

and went on to compete in Greek sporting events. His favorite was chariot racing. Nero received 1,808

winning crowns for all the Greek competitions he was involved in! This really bothered the prideful

Romans. Nero was told he ought to just kill himself rather than bring such shame to Rome, but Nero’s

behavior did not change.

The ancient city of Rome was crowded, leaving little room—if any—for Nero to

build new palaces.


To make himself even more unpopular with the Romans, Nero publicly whined about the layout of

the crowded city of Rome. He didn’t like where all the buildings were situated. It was true that Rome had

grown rapidly and was very congested. Streets had not been well laid out, leaving Nero little room—if

any—to build new palaces. Knowing that that is how Nero felt, it only makes you wonder if he was

indeed the one behind the great burning of Rome.

You see, for almost a full week in A.D. 64 the city of Rome went up in flames. The great fire raged

out of control. About two-thirds of Rome was destroyed, and many people lost their lives. During the

fire Nero is said to have nonchalantly played the lyre (a stringed instrument) while gazing out his window

at the smoke and debris.

Persecution Begins

To most Romans, Nero appeared quite guilty of starting this catastrophic fire. To keep himself

from looking so suspicious, Nero set up relief stations for the homeless. But he also looked for someone

to blame for the fire. Do you want to guess whom he found? Nero discovered that a new religious sect

was growing in Rome and stirring up trouble among the Jews. These people were the early Christians!

Nero intentionally blamed the burning of Rome on these innocent believers and had thousands of

them killed. According to Nero, they deserved death because they were “cannibals” who drank blood

and ate human flesh. This rumor was started because of the sacrament of communion (where Christians

break bread and sip wine to remember Christ’s broken body and shed blood on the cross). Christians

became what we would call scapegoats—people who take the blame for something they didn’t do.

Ironically, the expression comes from Jewish tradition when they would sacrifice a goat for their sins.

(Lev. 16) Of course, Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. That’s what

makes the story so ironic.

It is probably not necessary for me to share gory details of just how some of the early Christians

died under Nero’s persecution. But I feel it is important to appreciate what these believers endured

because of their great faith in Jesus Christ. One historian wrote that some people were torn apart by wild

beasts in the numerous sporting arenas. Others were covered with pitch, raised on poles, and left to burn

as torches in Nero’s personal gardens. Peter and Paul are believed to have died under Nero. Paul was

beheaded, and Peter was crucified upside down. Peter chose to be crucified that way because he didn’t

feel worthy to die in the same manner that Jesus did.

Because of these horrible conditions, some Christians gathered to hide in what are called the

catacombs. The catacombs were underground chambers used as burial grounds beneath the city streets

of Rome. These chambers were only about 10 feet wide and 6 feet high but they extended for miles and

miles under the ground. The catacombs made a perfect secret location for early Christians to meet for

worship and prayer. And it is estimated that between 2 and 7 million Christians who died sometime in the

first century are also buried there.

It is very sad to think about these tragedies. But it is also encouraging to remember how brave the

Christians were. Had they only renounced (or denied) their faith in Jesus, their lives would have been

spared. But they wouldn’t deny who they believed Jesus to be, and that was God.

As for Nero, he didn’t live a very long life either. By the time he was 30 years old, the Roman Senate

was completely fed up with him. Soldiers went on a massive manhunt for Nero with every intention of

torturing and killing him. Nero became aware of it and went into hiding. But he couldn’t escape for long.


Rather than face a slow and agonizing death by torture, Nero tried to kill himself with a sword in A.D. 68.

According to Will Durant in Caesar and Christ, Nero’s assistant actually finished driving the sword through

Nero that caused his death because the emperor himself found it too painful to do.2

Despite the cruelties, the quirks, and the unusual behavior of Nero, when news spread in Rome of

his death, there were mixed reactions from the masses. Will Durant wrote, “Many of the populace

rejoiced at his death and ran about Rome with liberty caps on their heads. But many more mourned him,

for he had been as generous to the poor as he had been recklessly cruel to the great.”3

It is an odd summary, isn’t it? But then Nero was an odd man who appeared to live more for himself

than for anyone else.

I warned you in the beginning of this lesson that some people we’ll be studying were pretty awful.

I think that by now you can clearly see the depraved life that Nero led. It is very sad that so many people

suffered and died under his rule.

ACTIVITY 4


Make a pretend lyre. Directions are in the Activity Supplement in the Appendix. Or, locate the

sounds of a lyre using a computerized encyclopedia with CD-ROM capabilities. Listen to it with your

teacher. What type of instrument that we use today does it resemble?

4B—Middle and Older Students

The Colosseum of Rome is one of the most spectacular Roman ruins still standing today. Research

this magnificent structure. (It was not dedicated until A.D. 80, about 12 years after Nero died. Though

many Christians died there through persecution, it would not have been under Nero.)

Find out the Colosseum’s size, the meaning of its name, and how it was used. Write three to five

paragraphs on your findings. Photocopy the ruins of the Colosseum from a reference book or print it

from the Internet and include it in your mini-report. File it under “Europe: Rome” in your Student

Notebook.

4C—Middle and Older Students

1. Research the catacombs of Rome. There were chambers like these located in other cities too.

Investigate the artwork that has been discovered there. Christians were known to leave secret signs

like a fish or Chi-Rho (the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek) to communicate that they were

believers. These symbols are found in the catacombs. Photocopy or print examples. Write a few

paragraphs on the catacombs. Combine these and file them in your Student Notebook under

“Europe: Rome.”

2. If you are part of a co-op or school group, create symbols to lead believers to a meeting place.

Gather “secretly” in a dark room of your school or home to quietly sing praise songs and read

Scripture. Consider that many Christians today meet in such conditions to avoid persecution!

3. Adult Supervision Needed. A record has been kept of a letter written by Nero’s mother to him.

Her name was Agrippina. In this emotion-filled letter, she pleads for her life. Read this for yourself

in the Activity Supplement. Draft your own letter as an in-law of Nero, a Roman official, or a

Christian leader pleading that he not kill Christians. Burn the edges to make it look more authentic.

File it under “Europe: Rome” in your Student Notebook.

2. Ibid., p. 284.3. Ibid.


c. A.D. 64–280

MARTYRS OF THE EARLY CHURCH

LESSON 5

(NOTE TO TEACHER: Preview this lesson for graphic details that may

be unsuitable for some children. Paraphrase as needed.)

For many people, the thought of dying is a scary one. It is not something most of us

look forward to. But for Christians it is less frightening because there is hope for

eternal life! It is this indescribable hope and yearning for heaven that I imagine has

calmed the countless number of men and women who have died because of their

belief in Christ. We call them martyrs.

The first people to persecute the Christians were the Jews themselves, like Saul

of Tarsus for example. (It is ironic that the very race that Christ was born into was

first in trying to erase Him from history.) But eventually the Jews lost power over

Israel and were no longer able to persecute Christians. What we find is that the

Romans picked up where the Jews left off in trying to stop the spread of Christianity.

The FIRST wave of Christian persecution in the Roman Empire was that which

occurred under the depraved leadership of Nero. Both Paul and Peter of the New

Testament were victims of Nero’s deadly reign. If you recall, Nero blamed the newly

formed sect of Christianity for the great fire of Rome. Unfortunately, persecution

of the New Testament Church didn’t end with Nero’s

death.

The SECOND onslaught on believers occurred under

the Roman emperor Domitian between A.D. 81 and 96.

Domitian, like many of the other Roman emperors, claimed to have divine

power and expected to be worshiped. Though many of his demands were just

a formality, Domitian really wanted people to burn incense and chant their

loyalty to him as emperor! Those who wouldn’t bow down paid for it with their

lives or were exiled from Rome. In fact, the apostle John who wrote the Book

of Revelation was exiled to the Isle of Patmos for refusing to worship Domitian.

The THIRD wave of persecution came under the leadership of Trajan.

He made it a capital crime to be a Christian. A capital crime is one punishable

by death. One of the dear saints who lost his life under Trajan was a man

named Ignatius. He was a bishop. Tradition says that Ignatius may have been

one of the small children that Jesus Himself held in his arms and blessed as an object lesson to the

disciples who were trying to shoo them away. If it is true, it may have been this very encounter with Jesus

that helped inspire the great faith of Ignatius. When being thrown to the lions in the great Colosseum in

Rome, Ignatius responded with a prayer like this: “I am God’s grain, to be ground between the teeth of

wild beasts, so that I may become a holy loaf for the Lord.”4

Roman Emperor

Domitian exiled the

apostle John to the

Isle of Patmos for

refusing to worship

him.

Roman Emperor

Trajan made it a crime

punishable by death to

be a Christian.

4. George T. Thompson and Laurel Elizabeth Hicks, World History and Cultures in Christian Perspective, Pensacola, FL: A BekaBook, 1985; p. 118.


Also under Trajan, a widow named Symphorosa and her seven sons

perished. They were commanded to sacrifice to the false gods but refused.

As punishment, Symphorosa was hung by her hair and then drowned. Her

sons were each stabbed to death.

About this time there were also two brothers who died for their beliefs.

They were named Faustines and Jovita. It has been recorded that they so

patiently endured their tortures that a heathen man came to believe in their

God just by watching them die! He cried out at their execution, “Great is

the God of the Christians.”5 The crowd then killed him, too.

In A.D. 155 an aged bishop from Smyrna named Polycarp was martyred

for his faith. Under the emperor Hadrian, Polycarp was asked to renounce

his belief in Jesus Christ. Here is how he responded:

“Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and He has done me no

wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” As Polycarp

was bound at the stake to burn alive, he prayed out loud, “Lord God, Father

of our blessed Savior, I thank Thee that I have been deemed worthy to

receive the crown of martyrdom, and that I may die for Thee and Thy

cause.”6

Isn’t it touching that he felt honored to

serve the Lord in the manner of his death? It

is no wonder then that Polycarp’s death was

so dramatic. It seems his persecutors had a

difficult time killing him. The fire they started

kept going out! An eyewitness wrote, “He was

in the middle, not as burning flesh, but as

bread baking or as gold and silver refined in a

furnace. And we smelled such a sweet aroma

as the breath of incense or some other

precious spice.”7 Polycarp’s body wasn’t truly

burned until he was already dead from stab

wounds. Because of this miracle, many around

him believed in the God of the Christians.

Persecution Slows, Then Grows

Fortunately for the believers, the persecutions slowed down for a time. A few years before Hadrian

died, he made it illegal to kill Christians.

After him the emperor Antonius Pius maintained this law of mercy. In taking the throne, he issued

this edict, “If any hereafter shall vex or trouble the Christians, having no other cause but that they are

such, let the Christians be released, and their accusers punished.”8

5. Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World. The Christian Library series. Westwood, NJ: Barbour and Co., Inc., 1985; p. 53.6. George T. Thompson and Laurel Elizabeth Hicks, World History and Cultures in Christian Perspective, Pensacola, FL: A BekaBook, 1985, p. 118.7. A. Kenneth Curtis, J. Stephen Lang, and Randy Petersen, The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History. Grand Rapids,MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1991; p. 21.8. Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World. The Christian Library series. Westwood, NJ: Barbour and Co., Inc., 1985; p. 54.

Ignatius was thrown to the

lions in the Colosseum

under the rule of Trajan.

The inside of the Roman Colosseum had four tiers of marble

seats that could hold 50,000–80,000 spectators.


However, the next Roman emperor was oblivious to the sufferings of the Christians. So began the

FOURTH persecution of the Early Church under Marcus Aurelius,

emperor of Rome from A.D. 161–180. By this point in time, the common

people of Rome had grown callous to the killing of Christians. “The

Christians to the lions!”9 they would chant. For just about any calamity or

disaster that struck, Christians were blamed and killed.

Justin Martyr, from whose name the term martyr originated, died under

Marcus Aurelius. Justin was a great philosopher. He spent his life teaching

both Jews and Gentiles about the Christian faith. He wrote many things

that explained exactly what Christians believe. We call these types of writings

“apologies,” or apologetics, of the faith. It was Justin’s apologetics that

got him into trouble. He was challenged by other philosophers to debate

his beliefs. This eventually landed him in a trial where he was asked to deny

his faith and sacrifice to idols. Refusing to do either, he was scourged and

beheaded. He wrote, “You can kill us, but cannot do us any real harm.”10

We also have record of several young

women who suffered and died for their faith.

One was a young slave girl named Blandina.

Though tortured for her beliefs, she is

remembered as saying, “I am a Christian;

among us no evil is done.”11 Almost 30 years

later, under the FIFTH persecutor, a noblewoman named Perpetua and

her slave Felicitas died. They were trampled to death by wild animals though

each had a young baby to care for. No mercy was shown to these mothers.

I know that all these persecutions sound terrible. But they got even

worse. In the SIXTH and SEVENTH persecutions, Christians were not

only killed but also brutally tortured if they failed to sacrifice to the Roman

gods. I can’t even write about the atrocities that some of the saints had to

endure! And by the EIGHTH persecution, Christians were stripped of

property, exiled, or forbidden to gather for worship. Cyprian of Carthage

is one of those who was beheaded for not sacrificing to the Roman emperor

Valerian. He was so loved by his students that handkerchiefs stained with

his blood were kept as mementos of his greatness.

There are even more persecutions to write about, but I’m going to stop here for now. I hope that as

we read and write these names, we feel in our hearts for our Christian brothers and sisters, both then and

now, who die for their faith. Jesus Himself suffered the cross for all our sins. He promised in the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they

revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is

your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:10–12)

Polycarp prayed, “I thank

Thee that I have been

deemed worthy to receive

the crown of martyrdom,

and that I may die for

Thee and Thy cause.”6

Roman Emperor Marcus

Aurelius led the fourth wave

of persecution of the Early

Church.

9. George T. Thompson and Laurel Elizabeth Hicks, World History and Cultures in Christian Perspective, Pensacola, FL: A BekaBook, 1985, p. 118.10. A. Kenneth Curtis, J. Stephen Lang, and Randy Petersen, The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History. Grand Rapids,MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1991; p. 19.11. George T. Thompson and Laurel Elizabeth Hicks, World History and Cultures in Christian Perspective, Pensacola, FL: A BekaBook, 1985, p. 118.


Be encouraged that despite persecutions for more than 2,000 years,

Christianity has grown and continues to grow. Tertullian, one of the

founding fathers of the Early Church, said it this way; “The blood of the

martyrs is the seed of the church.”12

ACTIVITY 5


1. Adult Supervision Needed. Polycarp was said to have a sweet aroma

about him “as the breath of incense or some other precious spice.”

It reminds me of the beautiful passage found in 2 Corinthians 2:15–

16, which says:

“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and

among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to

the other the aroma of life leading to life.”

In honor of Polycarp, burn a spice-scented candle in your home or

classroom today. Discuss how a pleasant fragrance makes you feel and how as Christians we ought to be

an aroma of “life.”

2. Today would be a good day to pray for someone who is suffering for being a Christian. There are

many places in the world today where it is forbidden to worship Jesus Christ. Pray that Christians

will be protected from evil and that the gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to spread until He

returns.


Familiarize yourself with Foxe’s Christian Martyrs of the World. (It is sometimes called Foxe’s Book of

Martyrs.) It is a collection of stories of those who have died for Christ. Chapters three through eight give

particular detail to the 10 Roman persecutions beginning with Nero.

5C—Older Students

1. Choose one of the bishops in today’s lesson and seek original works written by him. It is particularly

rich to be able to read the sentiments of the men and women who lived so near the time that Christ

lived. We can draw much strength and wisdom from their firsthand experiences of the Early Church.

Write a short paper on the saint you choose and file it under “Europe: Ancient Rome” in your

Student Notebook.

2. With parental discretion, view the 1960s film Quo Vadis (starring Peter Ustinov). (Because it is an

accurate portrayal of this era of persecution, it does have some disturbing content.)

Tertullian the theologian

said, “The blood of the

martyrs is the seed of the

church.”12

12. A. Kenneth Curtis, J. Stephen Lang, and Randy Petersen, The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History. Grand Rapids,MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1991; p. 15.


A.D. 66

JOSEPHUS

LESSON 6

Why do people write history books? I ask myself that question a lot since I am writing a history book.

About two thousand years ago, a man named Josephus (Joe SEE fuss) asked the very same question.

Today I’m going to share with you what his answer was to this question and what he did with his life. But

we’ll start with some background on him.

Josephus was born of a royal Jewish family about eight

years after Jesus was crucified. In fact he was born about the

same year as Nero. Josephus and Nero would be what we call

“contemporaries” of one another. That is, they were of the same

age or of the same generation. While Nero was being groomed

as a young teen to serve as the next emperor of Rome, Josephus

was doing his “homework.” Literally. He was a very serious

student.

Josephus wrote this about himself:

“when I was a child, and about fourteen years of age, I was commended by all

for the love I had to learning; on which account the high priests and principal

men of the city came then frequently to me together, in order to know my

opinion about the accurate understanding of points of the law.”13

Though Josephus may have been bragging about himself a

bit here, it is probable that he was quite an intellectual for his

age.

When Josephus was 16 years old, he decided that he would study the three different sects of Judaism

that were around him in order to decide where he belonged. He studied the Pharisees, the Sadducees,

and the Essenes (es SEENZ). After three long, hard years he decided that he most agreed with the

teachings of the Pharisees. At 19 years of age, Josephus joined them.

Do you remember who had been a strict Pharisee? It was Paul. He and Josephus would have had a

lot in common. But unlike Paul, Josephus never claimed to have encountered Jesus personally. He remained

a faithful and devout Jew all his life.

By the time he was 26 years old, Josephus had become an important figure. He traveled to Rome to

stand before Nero and plead for the release of some Jewish priests. He won his case before Nero, and the

priests were freed.

But more than that happened on his trip to Rome. For Josephus it was an eye-opening experience

that altered how he felt about the Romans. You see, most Jews back then despised the Romans for being

evil oppressors. They opposed them so much that they were preparing for war. But not Josephus. When

Josephus is one of the greatest Jewish

historians that ever lived.

13. Flavius Josephus, The Works of Josephus, translated by William Whiston. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988, p.1.


he visited Rome, he was impressed with

its wealth and splendor. He was also

amazed at the strength of Rome’s army.

Josephus concluded that the Jews didn’t

stand a chance in fighting against them.

He tried desperately to convince them not

to go to war against Rome.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to turn

rebellion around. Despite the warnings by

Josephus, the Jews rebelled against the

Romans in A.D. 66. It was the beginning

of a war that lasted for four years. Rather

than just sit back and watch, Josephus

joined the war as a commander of the

Galileans. He was absolutely right,

though, about the Romans. They were too

tough to beat. Josephus, along with many

others, was forced to surrender his small command and was imprisoned for being part of the revolt.

But even in prison, Josephus remained an influential man. So much so that Josephus gained great

favor with a Roman commander named Vespasian. (veh SPAY zhuhn) It just so happened that after

Nero died, Vespasian became the next significant emperor of Rome. How

convenient for Josephus to have become close friends with the next emperor!

By A.D. 69, Vespasian set Josephus free because of their friendship.

Upon receiving his freedom, Josephus went home to Jerusalem. This

time he was employed by Vespasian’s son Titus as an interpreter and mediator.

But the same problems existed as before between the Jews and the Romans.

The Jews planned another revolt against Rome—but this time an even bigger

one. What was Josephus to do? He loved his Jewish homeland but had close

connections to the Roman world. The war was painful for him because he

was torn between these two worlds. He tried again to persuade the Jews from

war, believing that they would be demolished. And he was right.

The Destruction of Jerusalem

In A.D. 70, Jerusalem was hit so hard by the Romans that it didn’t recover

as a Jewish land for more than a thousand years. Historians call this the end

of the First Jewish Revolt. (In Luke 21:20–21, Jesus Himself prophesied

that this would happen.) The Temple was completely destroyed. I don’t mean that it was just toppled

over, I mean it was obliterated! The Romans stole every imaginable treasure out of it and tore it down

stone by stone to the very foundation. The large front brass doors were melted into a mere puddle. In

prideful victory, the Romans paraded down the streets, waving the priceless sacred treasures from the

Temple and dragging Jewish prisoners behind them.

To the Jews, the loss of the Temple was an unbearable catastrophe. It was, by the way, the Temple

that Herod the Great had begun to remodel just before Christ came. It had been completed only a few

years before this massive destruction! Without this place of worship and with their homeland in ruins,

This is a model of the Temple of Solomon, which was destroyed in

ancient times. It was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, lavishly remodeled by

Herod the Great, and then destroyed by the Romans.

Titus Flavius was the

Roman emperor who

employed Josephus and

extended him his family

name.


the Jews were more than defeated. Those who survived the attack on Jerusalem were forced from Israel

to settle anywhere they could find work. This dispersion of the Jewish people to other countries is called

the diaspora.14

But what about Josephus? What did he do after this heartbreaking loss? Well, despite his mixed

loyalties, he kept his job working for Titus—a Roman. He even adopted Titus’s family name, which was

Flavius. Was he being disloyal to the Jews by working for the Romans? I don’t know. But I think it was

the love he had for his Jewish heritage that drove him to his life’s work. He decided to write the history

of the Jews from beginning to end as he was taught it, lived it, and understood it. Perhaps he hoped that

the history of the Jews in written form would help the Romans better understand his people.

Some would say that Josephus is the best Jewish historian that ever lived. You can still read what are

called The Works of Josephus. They are kind of long, hard reading but they’re very interesting. Besides

the fabulous stories of Creation and the Old Testament, Josephus includes his own adventures as a

commander, the shipwrecks he survived, and the rescues he performed. His history records give us a

great glimpse into the time period in which he lived as well as an account of Old Testament events.

I like what Josephus had to say about why he wrote the history of the Jews. He observed that people

write history for three reasons: (1) to show that they have a skill at writing, (2) for the sake of others, or

(3) because they are “driven to write history, . . . and so cannot excuse themselves from . . . writing.”15

Josephus claims he wrote for the last two reasons—he was driven to write, but it was for the benefit of

others. His reasons sound good to me!

ACTIVITY 6

ALL STUDENTS

Make your Memory Cards for Lessons 4–6.


Do you have any family stories that show how God has worked in your life? For example, have you

ever prayed for a really big thing and then seen God answer that prayer? Dictate to your teacher a special

family story. Illustrate it, too. Consider that you are being a “historian” by writing these things down. File

your story and drawing in your Student Notebook under the continent and country where the story took

place.

6B—Middle and Older Students

1. Using a Bible encyclopedia or other resource, look up and define the three sects of Judaism that

Josephus studied. They were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. It is particularly helpful to

be familiar with the first two as they are frequently mentioned in the New Testament. The third

group, the Essenes, was probably responsible for writing the Dead Sea Scrolls. (But that’s another

lesson.) Write down these definitions and file the information in your Student Notebook under

“Asia: Israel.”

14. The term diaspora refers also to other times in history when the Jewish people were driven from their homeland (i.e., thedeportation to Assyria and the Babylonian Captivity). The incident in A.D. 70 was just the beginning of a wave of dispersions thatwas completed in A.D. 135.15. Flavius Josephus, The Works of Josephus, translated by William Whiston. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988; p.27.


2. From time to time, I run out of space to include all the stories I would like to in this book. I

challenge you to fill in the gaps! Research a woman of this time period named Boudicca. She was

from England. Learn of her heroic efforts to fight off the Romans. Discover how she died. File a

short paper on her life under “Europe: England” in your Student Notebook.

6C—Older Students

1. Through a library or the Internet, obtain the original works of Josephus. Read for yourself his

testimony on Creation. Then compare it to the biblical record of Creation. How important is it

that Josephus was a good historian? Of what significance are his stories in defending the validity of

the Bible? Discuss these matters with your teacher.

2. Research the history of the Temple of Jerusalem beginning with Solomon. Write a brief synopsis

of who held it when. Include sketches of the Temple. Discover what is found at the Temple site

now. It is very fascinating. File your research under “Asia: Israel” in your Student Notebook.


TAKE ANOTHER LOOK!


Wall of Fame

1. Nero (A.D. 37–68)—Place a small lyre (a violin-looking instrument) in one of his hands and

(with adult supervision) a burned match in the other. [From History Through the Ages, use Nero.]

2. Martyrs of the Early Church (c. A.D. 64–280)—Draw a thick cross and on it write the names

of some of the martyrs from this lesson. [Use Domitian, Trajan, Ignatius, Polycarp, Marcus Aurelius,

and Tertullian.]

3. Josephus (A.D. 66)—Draw two hearts on him. In one heart, write “Israel.” In the other heart,

write “Rome.” [Use Josephus and Titus.]

SomeWHERE in Time

1. Find the modern city of Rome on a map. This is where Nero lived. What

country is it in? In a historical atlas, find a map of the Roman Empire at its

height. Compare the size of the city of Rome today with the size of the

Roman Empire. It is sometimes confusing that “Rome” refers to both a

once-large empire and a modern city.

2. The tiny island of Patmos (which now belongs to Greece but lies just off

the coast of Turkey) is located northwest of the island of Rhodes. Patmos

will be very difficult to find in most atlases, but you might enjoy looking

for it on the Internet. A search at www.Google.com revealed several nice

sites when I keyed in “Patmos Island.”

Patmos is where John was exiled for not worshiping Domitian. It was from

here that he wrote the Book of Revelation. This tiny volcanic island is only 10

miles long and 6 miles wide. With an irregular coastline that makes the island resemble a horse’s head,

Patmos is only 13 square miles in area.

Today I want you to recreate the dimensions of this diminutive island on paper. Using a ruler, draw

a rectangle that is 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. Cut it out. Now, using scissors, cut jagged chunks out

of the edges of the rectangle to reduce the area of it. Use the little map shown here as a guide.

You see, as a smooth rectangle, the area of the island should have been 60 miles. But because of the

sharp inlets jutting in and out of the coast, the island is really only 13 square miles in area. Glue your little

island onto a piece of notebook paper and write “Patmos” on it. File it under “Asia: Turkey” in your

Student Notebook.

3. In a Bible atlas, find the province of Galilee. Josephus was a commander of the Galileans in the

battle against the Romans in A.D. 66. Jesus once spent a lot of time in Galilee. It was at the Sea of

Galilee that Jesus calmed a storm and walked on the water. In your atlas, find the city of Jerusalem

and the city of Rome. We know that Josephus lived in all three areas. On Outline Map XX,

“Mediterranean,” record the province of Galilee and the cities of Jerusalem and Rome. Label your

map “The Homes of Josephus” and file it under “Asia: Israel” in your Student Notebook.

Island of Patmos


Name Date

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

Week 2:—QUIZ

Multiple Choice. Circle the correct answer for each question.

1. In the Book of __________________________, Jesus told his followers that He would send the

Holy Spirit.

a. John

b. Acts

c. Romans

d. Revelation

2. On the road to __________________________, Jesus spoke to Saul and he was blinded for three

days.

a. Antioch

b. Jerusalem

c. Damascus

d. Eden

3. After a shipwreck, Paul spent three months on the island of __________________________.

a. Crete

b. Malta

c. Cyprus

d. Sicily

4. Nero was one of the most evil __________________________ emperors ever to live.

a. Roman

b. German

c. Persian

d. Jewish

5. Under Saul of Tarsus and others, the very first people to persecute the early Christians were the

__________________________.

a. Jews

b. Persians

c. Babylonians

d. Romans


6. Bishop Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the __________________________ of Rome.

a. Parthenon

b. circus

c. Colosseum

d. catacombs

7. Josephus was one of the best Jewish __________________________ who ever lived.

a. dancers

b. architects

c. generals

d. historians

8. Though he was impressed with the Romans, Josephus fought against them in the First Jewish

__________________________.

a. Council

b. Revolt

c. Feast

d. Retreat


WEEK 3

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

PRETEST 3

True or False? Circle your answers.

1. Masada is the name of a great fortress in China. T F

2. Rather than be captured by the Romans, nearly 1,000 Jews killed

themselves at Masada. T F

3. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a troop of Girl Scouts. T F

4. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth. T F

5. Nearly 800 Scrolls hidden by the Essenes have been found in caves

near the Dead Sea. T F

6. Mt. Vesuvius is a volcanic mountain in Italy. T F

7. The city of Pompeii has never been seen again since being buried by

volcanic ash 1,500 years ago. T F

8. Mt. Vesuvius blew so hard in A.D. 79 that it shot hot magma 12 miles high

for 11 hours. T F


A.D. 66–73

MASADA

LESSON 7

(NOTE TO TEACHER: I recommend previewing this lesson to determine which parts are suitable foryour children. The more graphic paragraphs are marked and may be skipped without losing the

content of the story.)

Have you ever seen a movie or read a book that made you cry? I have. I just can’t get through somestories without at least a lump rising in my throat. Well, today’s lesson is one of those kinds of stories. Itmade me cry when I first read about it. Unfortunately, some things in history are just that sad.

Masada is not the name of a person or a city, but it is the name of a place. It is a massive fortress

that still stands today on a steep plateau in Israel. The fortress itself isn’t the sad part of the story, butwhat happened there was absolutely tragic.

In review, do you remember the war thatJosephus was involved in? He was caught up inthe First Jewish Revolt against the Romans in A.D.66–70. Josephus warned the Jews not to even tryto fight the powerful Romans. But they wouldn’tlisten, and many were killed. The beloved Temple

of the Jews was completely destroyed. To addinsult to injury, the Romans robbed the Templeof some of its sacred treasures and paraded themthrough the streets. Worse than that, Jewishprisoners were dragged past the sneers and shoutsof their enemies! Some were dragged to theirdeath.

Well, sometime around A.D. 66, at thebeginning of the war between the Jews andRomans, there were some Jews who agreed withJosephus that they ought not to fight the Romans.They had no confidence they would survive. Sorather than fight, they fled. They thought their best option might be to hide from the Romans and thendefend themselves if necessary. I will refer to the Jews who fled as the Zealots, as most history bookswould call them. They are also named the Sicarii for the method in which they fought, which was withdaggers. In Latin, sica means “dagger,” so the Zealots were sometimes called the “Sicarii” or daggermen.

After some years on the run, the Zealots grew weary of not having a home. They needed a place tolive that would give them protection. What they discovered was Masada. The Masada fortress had beenbuilt many years earlier. Herod the Great (the Herod in the Bible who sent out the three wise men tofind Jesus) lived at Masada when he was a young boy. It was used as a fortress in wars against theParthians. Later in Herod’s life, he returned to Masada to make it an even better, stronger fortress.Herod was so fearful that someone was out to kill him, that he needed a solid place like Masada for

This is a model of the massive but beautiful fortress of

Masada. It was once a palace retreat for Herod the Great.


protection. (He was probably right, too, that someone somewhere wanted to kill him. He had a lot ofenemies!)

So Herod the Great remodeled Masada into an unbelievable stronghold. He cut out great cavernsand cisterns that would hold many years’ worth of rainwater. He built storehouses that would keep years

of preserved food. He addedtwo ornate palaces to help himfight boredom should he getstranded there. The place wasan ideal refuge.

In its natural state,Masada was difficult to get to.That alone made it a greatfortress. It was located on thewestern shore of the Dead

Sea, about 30 miles southeastof Jerusalem. The fortress

was on top of a plateau that jutted up 400 meters above the Dead Sea. Steep limestone cliffs surroundedit. Only two paths existed to climb the great plateau: one short, steep path on the west side and a longtorturous snake path up the east side.

But back to the Zealots . . . in the midst of the war with Rome, they poured out of Jerusalem andother villages by the hundreds and headed to the refuge of Masada under the leadership of Eleazar Ben

Yair. A few Roman soldiers were occupying Masada at the time, but they were easily overtaken. Masadathen belonged to the Jews! At least for awhile.

Life for the Jewish Zealots at Masada was a relief at first. Considering that they had been living infear for years in their villages, the rugged surroundings of Masada were bearable. For many of them itwas the first time in their lives that they were free of Roman rule. They were free to worship as they liked.Free to pray as they liked. Free to be the people they wanted to be.

The Romans Attack

In time, however, word got back to the Roman emperor that nearly a thousand Jews were in hidingat Masada. He would not tolerate their rebellion and escape! The emperor sent a myriad of legions to tryto stomp out these devout Jews who would not submit to the Roman government. According to Josephus,who wrote about the incident at Masada, as many as 20,000 Roman soldiers marched on the great fortress.

Since I already told you this was a sad story, you may think you know what happens next. You wouldthink that 20,000 Roman soldiers could have just scaled up the cliffs and easily overtaken 1,000 Jewishcivilians. But, according to Josephus, that’s not at all what happened.

The Romans quickly learned that Masada was impenetrable. That means it was impossible to breakinto. When they tried to scale the cliffs, the Jews showered them with rocks and weapons from above. Inevery instance, the Jews had the advantage from being up so high on the plateau. And with all the foodand water stored at Masada, the Romans couldn’t even starve out the Jews.

But someone in the Roman camp came up with a scheme to get to the top of the towering plateau.They would build a dirt ramp. That is, a really big dirt ramp. Using Jewish prisoners as part of theworkforce, the Roman soldiers erected a massive ramp of earth and wood that took them seven monthsto build.

The Romans spent seven months erecting a huge ramp of earth to help them

overtake Masada.


Imagine for seven months watching the slow progression of the enemy as they inched their wayhigher and higher to the top of the fort. I can picture the faces of terrified children peeking over thegreat walls. I can hear them asking their moms what would happen next. I’m glad that they couldn’t haveknown.

When the Romans completed their building, they pushed and pulled huge weapons of war up thelong earthen ramp. One weapon was called a battering ram because it repeatedly rammed a huge boulderthrough anything in its path. It successfully knocked down outer walls of the fortress, and the Romansset fire to the wooden gates. However, they underestimated the great weight of their weapons. Part ofthe ramp collapsed and caught on fire. Humiliated at this setback, the Romans yelled, “We’ll get youtomorrow!” and they departed for the night to their tents below.

Josephus claims that early the next morning, thousands of Roman soldiers marched back up theramp with every intent of taking Masada for good. But rather than encounter mobs of fighting Jews, aswould be expected, they were greeted by complete silence! Not one person was stirring! Where were theJews that the Romans had spent seven months preparing to capture? Well, this is the sad part of the story.They were all dead. Through the night, 960 men, women, and children killed themselves. Rather thanface Roman rule and imprisonment, they died by their own hands!

(Teacher: The next two paragraphs may be disturbing for some children. Use your discretion

in reading them.)

Josephus tells us, however, that two older women and five children survived the mass suicide toexplain exactly what transpired that tragic night. According to the witnesses, Eleazar Ben Yair gatheredthe people around him one last time. He shared with them that they had but two choices. They could betormented as prisoners of Rome or they could take their own lives and die as free people. After all theyhad been through, including seven months of anticipating their fate, the idea of taking their own liveswas apparently less painful to consider.

To carry out the horrible task, Eleazar instructed families to first burn all their personal belongings.They didn’t want the Romans to walk away with even one of their meager possessions or a cent of theirwealth. Then, most tragic of all, each man was to slay his own wife and children. Names were then drawnbetween the men to kill each other.

(Resume reading here.)

There are hardly words I can write that express how this story makes me feel. Thousands of peopletravel every year to the site of Masada and experience the same problem. They are left in complete aweover the tragedy that occurred there nearly 2,000 years ago. Of course thousands of people have died inmultitudes of other wars, but few have died as tragically as these did by the hands of their own lovedones.

Today, the Jewish army uses the ruins at Masada as the place where soldiers swear their allegiance toIsrael. It is no wonder that in Israel, postage stamps and medallions display the words, “Masada shall notfall again!” Hopefully there never will be an incident like Masada again. Hopefully we’ve learned fromhistory other ways to achieve freedom than through such tragedy.

ACTIVITY 7


1. Create a medallion with the words “Masada shall not fall again!” inscribed on it. Use cardboard,ribbon, and markers.


2. Masada was well equipped for storing preserved foods. For lunch today, try eating dehydratedfoods such as raisins, beef jerky, prunes, dried apples, and soup in a paper cup that you add hotwater to, etc. If you have a dehydrator, make some of your own dry foods and store them. It wouldbe hard to live on these kinds of foods for months and months at a time. Discuss with your teacherthe pleasure of eating freshly prepared foods and be thankful to have these available.


1. Using outside sources, research ancient weapons like the battering ram and the assault tower. Try tofind a picture of both to help you grasp why the earthen ramp at Masada collapsed under theirweight. Photocopy and color your findings and file them in your Student Notebook under “Asia:Israel.”

2. Create a small system of cisterns. A cistern is a method of collecting rainwater. I suggest you dosomething like this: Cover several large plastic bowls with pieces of mesh cloth. Secure the clothswith rubber bands or string. Place clean rocks or weights on the cloths to direct water to seep downinto the containers. (The cloths will slow down the amount of water that seeps in, but they willserve as screens to keep bugs out!) Set the containers outdoors for two weeks or more, dependingon the season. Monitor the weather and check your cisterns for rainwater collection. Rainwater issupposed to be excellent for washing hair because it lacks the hard minerals found in tap water. Ifyou can collect enough rainwater, try it out—even if you have just enough for a final rinse afteryou’ve shampooed.

7C—Older Students

1. Obtain the original works by Josephus that explain the entire Masada incident. He wrote of it in hisbook The Jewish War. For centuries historians thought this story was fiction. However the greatfortress was discovered and excavated in the 1800s to prove that the story was unfortunately quitereal. Debate still exists, however, as to whether the mass suicide was as extensive as Josephus madeit out to be. Research the debate yourself and draw your own conclusions. Did Josephus exaggeratethe mass suicide or did it happen exactly as he wrote it? The findings of archaeologists are some ofour only keys to the past! Record your findings in your Student Notebook under “Asia: Israel.” (Orsend them to me if you’d like! I’d love to know what you discover!)

2. Discuss the ethics of suicide with your teacher or classroom. What are the statistics of suicide inyour nation? What does God’s word have to say about it? Consider the present-day debate over Dr.Jack Kevorkian’s suicide machine.

c. 100 B.C.–c. A.D. 75

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

LESSON 8

Over the centuries, archaeologists have found lots of things that help support the stories of the Bible.But none could be more significant than the Dead Sea Scrolls. That is the name given to some well-preserved biblical documents that were written thousands of years ago but were only found in the lastcentury by a young boy.


As the story goes, in 1947 a Bedouin (BED oo in) shepherd boy was exploring some caves near theDead Sea when he discovered hundreds of parchments. These were no ordinary documents. What theboy found were fragments of the entire Old Testament, except for the Book of Esther.

It turned out that archaeologists and other Bedouins found 10 more caves in the nearby area.Hundreds more parchments were found. These included parts of the Apocrypha and records of customsof the people who wrote these documents. (The Apocrypha is a book of religious writings that complementthe Bible but were not included in it.)

Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? Most scholars agree that the Jewish sect called the Essenes (esSEENZ) wrote the Scrolls. Do they sound a little familiar to you? I introduced you to them in the lesson

on Josephus. Josephus had studied the lives of theEssenes as well as the Pharisees and Sadducees

before deciding to join the Pharisees.The Essenes were a strict group of Jews that

may have sprung from the former Maccabees. (SeeVolume I of The Mystery of History for the story ofJudas Maccabee and the first Hanukkah.) As devoutJews, the Essenes felt they should live “separate”from the corrupt world around them. So, they usuallylived far away from big cities.

That may be one reason why their “library” ofsacred writings was discovered near the Dead Sea.This location, which is also called Qumran, was notexactly a popular spot. Qumran is situated nearlimestone cliffs and the low-lying fossil bed of theDead Sea. The Dead Sea lies farther below sea levelthan any other place on earth! It is so hot there, thatas fresh water pours into the Dead Sea from nearbyrivers, it quickly evaporates. This process leavesbehind so much salt and mineral sediment that fishcan’t survive in the sea. In fact, the salt and mineral

content is so high in the Dead Sea that a person will float in the water without even trying!Well, all in all, a total of 800 writings have been retrieved from the desert spot in Qumran. Most

were written in Hebrew, some were in Aramaic, and a few were in Greek. To this day, scientists are stillpiecing together some of the writings like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Nobody knows for sure why the Dead Sea Scrolls were systematically stored as they were. It mayhave been a response to the difficult times the Jews were having against the Roman government. It maysimply have been an act of preserving sacred Jewish history.

Unlike most documents of that era, these Scrolls were really well preserved. They probably lastedso long because of the extremely dry air in the region and the materials used to write them on. Somewritings were found on calfskin and sheepskin. Most were on parchment and papyrus.

What do we know about the lives of the Essenes? For about two centuries, which would be 200years, they lived “separate” from the world. From excavating the area, scientists know that the Esseneslived in communes and shared their wealth with one another. Their writings state that “they shall eat incommon and bless in common and deliberate in common.”1 From this we conclude that besides living

For centuries the Dead Sea Scrolls were well preserved

by the dry air of the region.

1. Dead Sea Scrolls. New South Wales: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2000; p. 22.


together as neighbors, they ate together in one large group. And it was a rather large group. Anywherefrom 200 to 400 people made up the commune at Qumran.

The Essenes were self-sufficient, as was necessary for living out in the wilderness. They raisedsheep and cattle, farmed, and made date honey. Evidence of a potter’s workshop has been found as wellas a tannery. (A tannery is a place where leather is made.) But the main occupation of the Essenes was thepreservation of the Scriptures.

Eventually the Essenes disappeared from history. Earthquakes violently shook the region, forcingmany of them to leave. Wars with Rome may have forced them out too. Though we don’t know muchmore about the Essenes, we can be grateful for their dedication to the preservation of the Scriptures.The copies they left behind are priceless to Jews and Christians alike because they provide additionalhistorical evidence of the accuracy of the Bible.

ACTIVITY 8


Create an ancient document. (This activity will take two days to complete.)

Materials: Paper, pencils, four black tea bags, water, pot for boiling, tongs, shoes, matches, three-hole plastic sleeve for notebook

Adult Supervision Needed

1. Have your teacher place a few cups of water to boil on a stove.

2. When the water boils, add four black tea bags and remove from heat.

3. Set tea water aside to steep and cool.

4. On a piece of paper, write in dark pen several of your favorite Old Testament Bible verses in yourbest handwriting.

5. Crumple the paper into a tight ball. Straighten it out.

6. Using tongs, slowly lower the paper into the tea water. Leave for several minutes.

7. Use tongs to carefully remove the paper; allow it to drip-dry overnight.

8. Assuming your paper is now dry, have your teacher locate a safe place outdoors where you canburn the edges of the paper. This will give your document an aged appearance. For safety, Irecommend shoes on all participants as well as an extra shoe in hand to stomp out the smolderingedges!

9. When the document has completely cooled, I suggest you store it in a three-hole plastic sleeve thatcan easily go into your Student Notebook under “Asia: Israel.”

8B—Younger and Middle Students

Grow salt crystals!

Background Information: The Dead Sea is sometimes referred to as the Salt Sea in the Bible becauseof its high content of salt. Along the southeast end of the Dead Sea, there lies a ridge of earth 300 feethigh and 5 miles long that appears to be covered with salt crystals.


Materials: 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt, black construction paper, scissors, foil pie pan or shallowsaucer, ½ cup of water, small plastic container with a lid

1. In a small plastic container, add ½ cup of water and 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt.

2. Close the container with a lid and shake hard for about a minute.

3. Cut a black piece of construction paper to fit the bottom of your pie pan or shallow saucer.

4. Pour the saltwater solution gently over the paper in your pan or saucer.

5. Set the pan near a sunny place where it won’t be bumped for a few days.

6. Observe the growth of long, beautiful salt crystals as the water evaporates.

7. Take a photo of your salt crystals and file it under “Asia: Israel” in your Student Notebook. Titlethe page “The Dead Sea Is Salty.”

8C—Older Students

1. Examine actual photos of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the Internet. If these sites are not working, doa search for current sites.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/toc.html (sponsored by the Library of Congress)http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/dead_sea_scrolls/

2. Using a Bible dictionary, research the location of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis19:24–26 explains how these cities were destroyed by God and the fate of Lot’s wife, who wasturned into a pillar of salt. What scientific facts about the Dead Sea could support this biblicalaccount in Genesis? Write three paragraphs on the topic and file your research under “Asia: Israel”in your Student Notebook.

A.D. 79

THE BURIED CITY OF POMPEII

LESSON 9

On the morning of August 24, A.D. 79, the Roman city of Pompeii was bustling about like normal.Fathers were going to work in their shops, mothers were cooking and cleaning, and children were finishingchores so they could go outside to play. But under the ground, something was churning and burning thatwould forever change this city. A nearby volcano called Mt. Vesuvius was about to bury Pompeii inashes and leave it covered in eerie silence for nearly 1,500 years!

As hard as it is for us to imagine, the ancient city of Pompeii was very modern and much like one ofours. Streets were systematically laid out; homes were lavishly decorated with paintings, mosaics, andmarble floors; and the city was undergoing elections. Just like our neighborhoods around election time,people staked signs in their yards telling whom they would vote for. Some people even made sport of itand created sarcastic signs to heckle the politicians. For example, some signs read “The Town DrunksVote for Maximus” and “Thieves Are Voting for Scipio.”

Pompeii was a significant port city because it was strategically located near the sea on the westernbanks of Italy. The people of Pompeii traded with faraway Egypt and Spain as well as with other localRoman cities. With a population of 10,000 to 20,000 people, things were busy. Farmers and shepherds


raised olives, grapes, grain, sheep, and flowers. With these products, the bakers and craftsmen made oliveoil, wine, bread, wool, perfumes, and flowering garlands.

Pompeii sounds like a neat place, doesn’t it? It was in many ways. But in one long and terrifying day,it was obliterated! Had the people of Pompeii better understood the warning signs of a volcano, they

might have been spared.But people that long agohad far less knowledge andcapability to predict naturalevents than we have today.For example, in the yearA.D.62, a few years beforeVesuvius showeredPompeii, a massiveearthquake had rockedthe entire town. The earthshifted so suddenly that ahuge portion of Pompeiiwas damaged. Even by theyear A.D.79, some buildingsand statues in Pompeiiwere still in shambles fromnever having been rebuilt.

Despite that incident,nobody in the year A.D.79 knew what was brewing in the peaceful-looking mountaintop of Vesuvius. Thelurking volcano appeared harmless, with layers of lush, green landscape draping across it. The mountainprovided enough vegetation for animals to graze there unaware of their fate. Life was seemingly normal.

To better understand what happened at Pompeii, let me explain a little bit about how volcanoeswork. Miles underneath the ground, it’s hot—extremely hot! Sometimes it becomes so hot that rocksmelt and gases are created. This hot melted rock is called magma. We call the same stuff lava when itspews out of a volcano. In a normal volcano, gases build up like a massive teakettle and blow the topright off a mountain. Hot lava then oozes out and burns up everything in its path. But at Vesuvius,something strangely different happened.

Vesuvius Erupts

The pressure under Vesuvius was so great that it blew the contents of the mountain 12 milesstraight up into the sky where it hung suspended for hours above the spewing gases! Though some of thedebris solidified into porous rock called pumice and plummeted back to the earth, most stayed up in thesky. It would have been a frightening sight. The strength of Vesuvius was more like that of a nuclearbomb! It is thought to have been 10 times stronger than the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in theUnited States on May 18, 1980.

I share all of this with you that you might grasp just what happened to the ancient city of Pompeiiand its people that hot August day. Just before one o’clock in the afternoon, so much heat was buildingup under Vesuvius that the streams and creeks evaporated, animals grew restless, and the nearby sea

When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, it buried the city of Pompeii in 12 feet

of ash.


heaved. Then the top blew! Red-hot stones and pumice shot thousands of feet into the sky. Smokeblocked out the sun, and the whole region shook.

The people indoors probably thought it was another earthquake and braced themselves under shelter.But one look outdoors would have given away the truth. A red cloud hovered and glowed above Vesuviuslike a giant mushroom, and debris showered the streets. Of the thousands of people who lived there,most had time to escape if falling rocks didn’t hit them. Remember there was no hot lava to stop thembecause the majority of magma from Vesuvius was suspended overhead! People fled by boat, on foot, oron horseback. However at least 2,000 residents were not so fortunate. Ash fell from the sky at the rate of6 inches per hour! That alone suffocated hundreds who were left in Pompeii.

But what really destroyed the remaining city was an avalanche of hot air and gases. You see, afterabout 11 hours, the pressure of the volcano weakened. As it cooled, the great column of ash and rockthat hung in the air collapsed. Six different times the column surged downward from the sky before itcompletely ripped through Pompeii like a hurricane! Anyone who might have lived up to this pointwould have instantly been killed by the scorching heat and vapors. Twelve feet of ash buried the entiretown. The harbor became impassable to boats as ash turned the water to mush.

The fate of Pompeii is like none other. Because of the amount of ash that fell and the absence ofhot lava, people were frozen in time like statues in a museum. In the 1700s, local diggers discovered thetown almost completely undisturbed. Like giant fossils, shop owners, slaves, children, gladiators, food,animals, and homes were found by archaeologists in the exact positions in which they perished! Somepeople were found clutching their loved ones, others were found holding bags of jewelry and money.Most died with expressions of terror on their faces at the realization that they weren’t getting out.

It is hard to believe that a city could remain covered for nearly 1,500 years! I suppose some of thosewho fled returned to try to find what had been lost there. But it would have been of no use. Deadlypockets of gas would have still overcome anyone brave enough to begin to dig out Pompeii. Eventuallythe city was completely abandoned and forgotten. Local people referred to it as civitas, meaning “ancientcity” in Latin.

If you were to visit Pompeii today, you would learn a great deal about the way of life in ancientRome. Because the gases have now subsided, nearly the whole city has been unburied to reveal a past lifesuspended in time. Archaeologists discovered ways to preserve the hollow, ash-covered bodies. Theypoured plaster into the cavities where the bodies had deteriorated. What remained were three-dimensionalrepresentations of real people. It is a fascinating accomplishment. Even the names of families have beentraced through the election signs posted in yards.

Why should we care so much about the study of the Romans? Weren’t they the bad guys whooppressed the Jews and persecuted the early Christians? Well, many Romans were guilty of such crimes,but not all of them of course. And good or bad, our government and many Western philosophies havebeen patterned after the Roman way of thinking. So a day in the life of Pompeii is very interesting tohistorians. Besides that, the story is a sobering reminder of the uncertainty that life holds. Vesuviusremains an active volcano that is regularly monitored in hopes that it will never do again what it did in A.D.79!

ACTIVITY 9

ALL STUDENTS

Make your Memory Cards for Lessons 7–9.


9A—Younger and Middle Students

Make your own volcano.

Materials: Short plastic bottle (like an 8-ounce water bottle), vinegar, funnel, baking soda, red foodcoloring, liquid dish soap, dirt, water, box

Fill an old box with dirt and add water to make it moist enough to sculpt. Nestle a bottle into thedirt and continue to build up the sides to resemble a mountain. Using a spoon or funnel, add 2–3tablespoons of baking soda to the bottle. Add a few drops of red food coloring and dish soap for effect.Then carefully and slowly pour about ½ cup of vinegar into the hole of your “volcano.” It should reactwith the baking soda and begin to ooze out of the top of your bottle. Add more ingredients if needed.Take a picture of your creation. File it under “Europe: Italy” in your Student Notebook.

9B—Younger and Middle Students

Some of the everyday discoveries at Pompeii help us to see the ancient residents as real people. Oneof the many things found there was a sign in Latin that read Cave Canem. It means “Beware of the Dog.”The Romans also left behind a lot of graffiti. “Graffiti”is what we call words spontaneously, and sometimesillegally, scribbled in unusual places for others to read. (Like in a public bathroom stall!)

Nearly 2,000 years ago, someone in Pompeii scribbled the statement “May you sneeze sweetly.” Itwas a gesture of wishing someone good luck. A school student engraved the words, “I was whipped forthe 3rd time,” referring to his consequence for misconduct.

If someone were to discover your city or home in 1,500 years, what kind of words would they findthere? Make up a page of popular slogans or advertisements of our day. File it in your Student Notebookunder “Europe: Italy.”

9C—Older Students

1. The type of eruption at Vesuvius has been termed a “Plinian” eruption after a historian namedPliny the Younger. Turn to the Activity Supplement in the Appendix to read his eyewitness accountof what happened in the year A.D. 79.

2. Vesuvius was not completely without lava although it wasn’t lava that destroyed Pompeii. Researcha nearby city in Rome called Herculaneum. It also was destroyed by the volcano of A.D. 79 but in adifferent manner. Investigate the hundreds of skeletons that were discovered in 1982 along thebeach of the city. It is very interesting. Suggested resource is a library book titled Pompeii: Nightmare

at Midday by Kathryn Long Humphrey, published by Franklin Watts, 1990. See Chapter 8 inHumphrey’s book for more about the skeletons.

3. Over the years, Vesuvius has erupted many times. One of the more recent eruptions was in 1944.Research this eruption on the Internet or in an encyclopedia (I recommend World Book) to findpictures of Vesuvius during a blast.


TAKE ANOTHER LOOK!


Wall of Fame

1. Masada (A.D. 66–73)—Create a small banner or medallion that says, “Masada shall not fallagain!” [From History Through the Ages, use Masada.]

2. Dead Sea Scrolls (c.100 B.C.–A.D. 75)—In tiny writing, use a light-colored pencil to copy averse from Isaiah on a small piece of paper. Then crumple it up to make it appear aged andwrinkled. In larger letters, write in ink “Dead Sea Scrolls” over the top of your paper. [Use Dead Sea

Scrolls.]

3. The Buried City of Pompeii (A.D. 79)—Draw a small mountain with a large red cloud hoveringover it. Write the name “Vesuvius” on it. [Use Pompeii.]

SomeWHERE in Time

1. How well do you know the directions east, west, north, and south? In a Bible atlas, find the city ofJerusalem with your finger. Move your finger just a little in the direction of south. Now move it justa little east. You should be right on the western shore of the Dead Sea. This is where the fortress ofMasada stands.

2. “There are over 500 active volcanoes in the world, some of which are under the sea. Two majorareas of volcanoes exist. (Earthquakes are common in these areas, too.) The first is called the‘Pacific Ring of Fire.’ This area circles around the edge of the Pacific Ocean and has many activevolcanoes. It includes the western coast of North and South America (including Mt. Saint Helensin Washington state). It also includes Mt. Fuji in Japan, from Guam to Samoa, to New Zealand,then down and across to the southern coast of South America. The second chain forms a linealong the Azores, Canary Islands, and east to Europe and Asia.”2

On Outline Map XX, “World,” label the following volcanoes using an atlas and/or other referencematerials. Which are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire?

Volcano Country

Mt. Aconcagua Argentina

Mt. Fuji Japan

Mt. Saint Helens Washington state

Lassen Peak California

Mt. Etna Sicily

2. From The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, by Maggie S. Hogan and Cindy Wiggers. Published by GeoCreations,

Ltd., 1998; p. 116.


WHAT DID YOU MISS?

Week 3:—EXERCISE

Match and Mark. This is a matching exercise with an artistic variation. You will need colored pencils tocomplete it. Not only do I want you to match the items in the two columns by placing the correct letternext to the number, but I also want you to follow the directions to artistically “mark” the items asdescribed.

Remember, these exercises and quizzes are designed to take you back to some of the first lessonswe learned. On an exercise, you can use your book as a reference if you need to. The lesson numbers areprovided for you in parentheses.

_______1. Using a pink pencil, write the number “50” over theGreek word with that meaning. (1) a. Josephus

_______2. Using a black pencil, draw “x’s” on a smiley face next to thename of the man who met Jesus on his way to Damascus. (2) b. Tertullian

_______3. In green pencil, draw a tent over the name of the couplewho made and sold tents with Paul. (3) c. Pentecost

_______4. In yellow and orange pencil, draw flames around the name of theemperor who blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome. (4) d. Vesuvius

_______5. In red pencil, draw a drop of blood next to the name of the philosopherwho said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (5) e. Saul

_______6. In gray pencil, draw jail bars over the name of the historian whowas forced to surrender to the Romans. (6) f. Dead

_______7. In purple, draw a sword under the name of the leader of theZealots at Masada. (7) g. Pompeii

_______8. In blue pencil, draw waves around the name of the sea where hundredsof parchments of Scripture were found in 1947. (8) h. Eleazar

_______9. In brown pencil, draw the shape of a mountain around the name ofthe volcano that erupted in A.D. 79. (9) i. Nero

_______10. Using brown, black, and gray pencils, draw a shower of ash falling on thename of the city that was buried for 1,500 years. (9) j. Priscilla

and Aquila

WEEK 1 WHAT DO YOU KNOW?… · 2019. 10. 10. · Pretests are just what they sound like they are....

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